Can and Should We Homeschool?

I would give it far more than two weeks! I would have her go this entire year before making any decisions especially if she hasn't gone to preschool. She needs to experience being away from you and home and with other kids for at least one school year before you make any big decisions.

If your daughter has never been in daycare or preschool, this is a whole new experience for you and her. Two weeks is NOT enough time for her to know if she likes it or not. This is new and she needs time to adjust.

I personally do not think that working full-time leaves enough time to homeschool. But that is my personal opinion. If you are out of the home full-time going to school, then you also have homework that you must complete. Can you honestly say that you have the time to do it all? You started her in kindergarten for whatever your reasons were. It is a bad precident to set that if she whines and complains enough, that you will allow her to quit and rearrange life to accomodate her. Please don't take that as being harsh, but with my children I have the rule that if you make a commitment to do something (whether it be sports, school, clubs, etc.) that you must do what you agreed to. If you don't like it after your commitment is over, then don't sign back up.
Allow your daughter to at least go and develop the social skills necessary to be around unknown children her age. Give her a chance to develop some self-confidence and self-reliance. If she goes through even the first half of the school year (till Christmas holidays, at least), and you speak to her teacher and learn that she truly is not doing well, then re-evaluate and decide. But don't give in to her whining after only 2 weeks.

We homeschool our 4 and love it, but I would not try to work full-time and homeschool. For K sure, it could be done, but the older she gets the more time she will need spent with her. And where would she be during the day? Could you really give her that time she needs when you are working all day and have homework or grading yourself? I think it's one or the other with this one.

On teaching in your home, you have to look into the homeschool laws in your state. In NC we can teach one child not our own in our homeschool. But you don't have to register to homeschool until your child is 7, so I suppose you could still teach a number of K children in your home, but then you might fall under the "preschool" category and I imagine there are regulations there as well. You could definitely tutor if you would know what you are about there.

It's my understanding GA has an online school as well? Perhaps that would be another option to consider.

But I can also agree with the others that you will be setting a bad precedent by changing things after only 2 weeks...I would consider that carefully.

We have 4 kids and we homeschool. They've never been to public school. I can't answer your question about whether to pull her out or not, but as far as being able to work full time and homeschool her..YES you can. People do it all the time. With a child at that age, it would only take an hour or two to teach her what she would learn in one days time at school. I know GA says 4.5 hours, but honestly you can do more than what is required for the younger age group in just an hour. My oldest was 4 when he finished Kindergarten math, just to give you an example. It was what the local school was using too. lol He flew through it in about 4 months and we began 1st grade math after that.

Some school teachers or even former school teachers homeschool their own children. We have a family friend (he is retired now) and he was a Vice Principal. He homeschooled his children.

Yes, people do teach kids in their home and even offer classes and even tutoring too. It happens all the time. Some do it in their home and some teach classes at co-ops.

Good luck in your decision!
Homeschooling mother of 4

She needs to adjust to the outside world and wean herself from being with you all the time. She must learn how to get along with other children, follow directions, stand in line, and do whatever activity is assigned at the time. This is what's life's about. In any job you have to know all these things. Don't allow a 5 year old decide your future. To teach other children in your home in most states you would have to be licensed. That would be a home business. When you are teaching you can very likely afford private school for her if that's your choice. If you are teaching at a private school, many give free tuition to the children of employees. Listen to your husband on this one. V.

Absolutle yes! Truth is that kindergarden level an hour or two a day is equal to all day at school.
Last year my son did 2 days a week at a private school and he is above what some kids in kindergarden at public did all year. We are homeschooling this year and doing grade 1. 2-3 hours and we are done. It is great not to mention there is TONS of things to do with the homeschool assoc. so your child can still interact with other.
Follow your heart...... you'll be happy~! We say no school like homeschool!

You should definately give it more than two weeks! And I agree with everyone else's post but am wondering if you have talked to the teacher? Your daughter may be telling you she hates it, etc. but having a blast during the day. Either way, you should involve the teacher. Especially if she has never been to preschool. Also, homeschooling is more than teaching the required curriculum. It seems that you will need to make more of an effort to sign your child up for activites during the day that give her the chance to make friends and socialize. Alot of moms that homeschool by me do swimming, tumbling, spanish, music and art classes during the school day and that allows them to get together and meet other homeschooled kids. It would not be benificial to your child to spend all day everyday inside your house with no one else to interact with. And I am not sure how this would work with your school/work situation... good luck!

K.,
My 10 year old just started with Connections Academy - it's a virtual school - he stays at home, but he does his work through school books and computer time. It gives us the benefit of him being home but without having to try and figure out curriculum and such. We've loved it so far!

You only have to devote 4.5 hours per day to homeschooling so anything is possible. However, you would run into the problem of having a place to put her during the day as daycares have an age limit for during the day. As for teaching other kids, as already stated, parents do co-op but it's not for money. They just trade off with one another. And for the record, I'm not sure if you're in GA or not but I know that kindergarten isn't even required so she doesn't have to be in school at this point. I have a 3 year old and from my experience with my other children, I can say that she will not be in school prior to first grade. There is no reason to burn children out with the extra 2-3 years of "school" if they're not in an at risk home.

in a word, no. i do not think its feasible to homeschool and work full time!

I agree, 2 weeks is not enough time and what kind of attitude will you set for her if you let her stop now? Then everything she doesn't like she will expect to just not have to do. Have you talked with her teacher yet to see how she behaves in class? I don't know if they say this while you are going to school to be a teacher, but you and your daughter's teacher are partners now, a team, with the common goal of your daughter learning, growing and thriving.

S.

My husband and I worked abroad and the frequent moving was disruptive to education. In order to get my son in kindergarten in a private foreign school, he had to be able to read at level K-5 and meet other criteria. I had only the Christmas break to teach him and get hims through the K-4 material as he had never had any pre-school or kindergarten. They gave me American home-school material. It was my first experience with home schooling. I had a very busy schedule but was astounded that we got through the materials and he excelled, started with the rest of the class after the break and moved along on task. After first grade, we moved again. I purchased materials for 2nd and 3rd grade and worked with him. Keep in mind that many materials are workbook format and are self-paced. In other words, you have a minimum amount of work that MUST be covered to stay on task. In homeschooling, the advantage over the traditional classroom is that students can work ahead in subjects that they have a natural aptitude for or a keen interest in. In subjects that are more challenging, you have time to slow it down, gain understanding and learn the material. Done prudently, this prevents the "gaps" in learning that many students are disadvantaged by. In a traditional setting, if your are "bad" in a subject, you take the minimum requirement for graduation or a degree program and are thankful it's out of your life. In homeschooling, students learn that with instruction, time, and practice, they can master anything they set their minds to do. My son loved homeschooling. When we settled again he was tested at a private school and moved a grade ahead(skipped a grade level). At 10,000 a year tuition, the time I had invested paid for itself, which was a benifit I had not anticipated.

We spent about 3 hours a day in the lower level grades. Naturally the investment of time increases in middle school and then for many, drops again in high school or when the student is savvy enought to go online for lectures and tutorials.

There are also wonderful co-ops where you can join other homeschoolers for art, music, sports, field trips, science unit studies, travel, and lots or enrichment classes that allow them to interact with other students.

Living off-shore, I saw many American kids of expatriates complete high school and two years of college as independent students at age 17 or younger. Look at the numbers for home-schooled students getting into Ivy League colleges. Getting a couple years of college under your belt and earning schlorships has a tremendous value. The discipline that students learn through homeschooling (under dedicated parents)and the rewards of achievment give them a great advantage in the competitive world we live in.

Bottom line, it is a serious committment on the part of parents ( dad can help) but the educational benifits and advaantages to the student are worth it.

Cobb County has a huge homeschool community and excellent resources. I would imagine other counties do as well. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I think she should at least finish this year. She's started she needs to finish. She will likely begin to like being at school. It is only the second week. You don't want to start the trend of just be cause she whines about something she gets to quit. That will not serve her well later. And I do not think that it's possible to work full time and home school. She would have to be in school or doing something school related for a certain number of hours a day as well as if you don't work from home she's have to be in some kind of daycare during the day, she might as well be in school anyway.

Yes people do teach groups of kids in their home.Some times the parents form like a co-op and trade off teaching days.

I'm not opposed to homeschooling. I don't do it myself, but think it can be a great thing. But it seems in your situation, that she just needs more time to adjust. It sounds like you don't really want to homeschool her either, but feel guilty because she says she is unhappy. It might take a couple of months. When my daughter was 3 and in preschool, she cried every single day at drop off for the ENTIRE year, but everyday when I picked her up, she was excited and loved school and couldn't wait to go back. But then would cry again when she had to leave mommy the next day. I bought a book called Jake goes to school. It's about a little boy who wants to take his parents to school with him, but quickly finds out he can not paint, draw, or play with anyone while still holding on to his parents legs. It helped my daughter tremendously. It helped her understand that it's okay for kids and parents to spend some time apart from each other and it can even be fun.

Let me help you out a little bit with this one. I myself was homeschooled and also am pursuing a MAT and have considered whether or not to homeschool my daughter so I feel I can relate to your situation. While homeschooling was a wonderful experience that I wouldn't trade for the world I would not highly recommend it for you in your current situation. Take it from me that homeschooling a child is not something you can do part time or around your class/work schedule. It is a full-time gig so that's the biggest thing. Beyond that, most children hate school to begin with and are homesick etc. but they generally get over it once they feel more comfortable. Remember when you first went to college? You don't know anybody and have to break out of your bubble to make friends until you feel situated. She's going through the same thing only more so because it's essentially her first time doing that and she's without you as her rock and comfort. I think if you give her some time she'll be just fine. As far as your idea about teaching kids privately in your home that depends. I'm not sure where you live, but in nearly all states teaching children not related to you in your home as an alternative to public schooling is illegal. Why? I'm not entirely certain, but I know because my mother investigated that as an option when I was younger. It's a bad idea, trust me. Basically what I'm saying is don't give up hope just be encouraging and she'll do fine otherwise you'll end up being her crutch and she won't learn those valuable lessons about new places and situations. And, don't do anything illegal. :) I hope this helps. -A..

p.s. I plan to homeschool my daughter during the summer as a supplement to what I feel the public school system lacks. You may find this a bonding opportunity with her as well.

On homeschool topics I like the forum on homeschool.com
I think teaching her it's ok to stop something she isn't comfortable could be a bad precident to set. I understand she is not happy at school and you do not want her to have ill feelings about education. If it were me I would encourage her as much as you can getting her excited about her day. Make a neat lunch with cookie cutter sandwiches and little notes, drawings with I love you etc, and have an open dialog with her teacher. If in a few months it does not change then think about homeschooling. Go into some homeschool forums and ask what they do. I know there are several homeschool meetups on meetup.com

Gotta go mine are fighting ... again.

Message if you need anything. J.

I am new to the group so this response comes late :) I homeschool my children and love it. You can work and homeschool if you develop a schedule for you and your daughter. the right curriculum is key and having a HS support group is important. Kindergarten only takes 2 2 1/2 hours. www.ghea.org is a great site to start with for homeschool information

I have been asking myself the same question this year. I am a full time teacher and have a child in first grade. I am dismayed to see her doing worksheets and don't believe in homework. She is extremely bright in math but she has to work at the same level as all the other kids. She started doing addition in her head before she started kindergarten and now she is able to subtract into negative numbers. They haven't even gotten to addition in school. It's hard to sit back and watch as your child is exposed to many of the negative teaching methods that you learn are harmful in school. She has a good teacher but their is only so much she can do. Her hands are tied when it comes to the math curriculum. We met with the principal though and were able to get her doing second grade math work, anyway I digress. We decided that trying to homeschool while working full time would but too much strain on our family. I am burnt out when I get home and would rather not spend the night or weekends teaching or coming up with additional lessons for my daughter. If you try to do that as a first year teacher I think it would be nearly impossible, I am in my eighth year and think it would be hard. I think teaching your daughter at home along with other kids would be a good idea, as long as you have the finances to do so. You can't expect to make much money that way. I considered doing that myself, but after I spent money on materials and all the field trips I would like to go on I wouldn't be making hardly anything and we rely on my salary. i wish you good luck in your decision. Feel free to e-mail me if you need to discuss this further.

I'm not sure about if you can work full time and just homeschool your child but there may be other parents you could find in your community or neighborhood who would love you to take their children into a small setting in the same age group as your little girl and their kids could get the benefits from a more individualized education. Homeschooling is a great idea and I have heard that you have to have a desire to be with your kids almost 100% of the time, no few hours away at school during the day for 9 months of the year. I plan to homeschool my 13 month old and any other children I have. Your daughter can benefit from other forms of socialization so don't let anyone tell you that she'll be unsocialized if you don't allow her to go to a traditional class setting.

K., I don't post that often but felt strongly, I agree with Sharie, Don't give up yet. It is only the second week. As you said she has been home with you all this time. See how she is during the day and trust the K teacher. She will adjust, but will take some time. Homeschooling just because she wants to stay home just doesn't seem right, does it? She is learning a lot more than just academics at school. You'll be amazed at what she will learn this year. My son came home one day from K and had learned how to "pump" on the swings. I had been trying and trying to teach him that and boom just like that he learned from another kid. I know that is little, but little things like that just blow my mind that make big deals to little kids. She is also learning that there are other adults that can meet her needs and other adults to look up to.

Most children hate discipline given in school. It takes adjusting. Don't homeschool. It won't teach your child to get along with others.